Alone in the future
by Sigridsimmen
Summary: What happens if Phil went home to the future, but still couldn't let Keely go? Will they find a way to reunite? Phil is back in the future, and Keely's in 2006. They can't possiblt stay that way! PHEELY
1. The Music Box

A/N: Hey guys! This is Sigrid, and this is my first ever fanfiction, so bear with me. I've been obsessed with fanfictions for 6 months or so, and I finally decided to make my own.

I made this fanfic, cuz I dob't think the producers gave Phil Of The Future a proper ending. Or should I say, Keely a proper ending. So I decided to continue it on. I pretend that the kiss in the final episode never happened, cuz I want to play that out :D I can't promise any good plotlines here, cuz I'm honestly not a great writer, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyways. Please leave me a review, cuz I'd love to hear what you have to say about it, constructive criticism or compliments. Anyways, enjoy! :D

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**The Music Box - Chapter 1**

«Next stop, 2121,» Lloyd beamed. He turned around the key and started the now working engine. The time machine came to life, before leaving the 21st century, headed home to 2121. They were now traveling through time and would be home in approximately one hour if they didn't get stuck in traffic. Pim was already fast asleep, and Barb was in the front seat giving Lloyd directions.

_I'll never see Keely again_, Phil thought to himself. He stared at his pepper shaker. He just couldn't believe his bad luck. He'd liked Keely ever since he first met her. He always knew she was special. But he'd never had the guts to tell her. Now that he finally had, they were heading home. What they'd all been waiting for the last 2 years had now become some horrible nightmare he hoped he would wake up from any minute now.

«Lloyd, we need to take the next space turn if we're trying to reach the 8th dimension,» Barb informed her husband.

«Yes, dear,» Lloyd replied in a slightly annoyed voice.

«Keely,» Phil moaned, fumbling with his pepper shaker. How come he already missed Keely? He'd seen her just last night. But the fact that they'd never meet again was haunting him.

«Dad, we need to go back,» he pleaded.

«What? We can't go back, I already set the time machine for 2121!»

«No, I need to say goodbye to Keely»

«I know how you feel, son, but-,» Lloyd tried.

«I'm begging you,» Phil replied. Pim flinched and came back to reality.

«I dreamed of begging. Is it for mercy?», she asked.

Lloyd sighed, not wanting to say what he had to say, but he didn't know any other solution.

«Look, I'm sorry son. But we can't turn around now. It's the rules,» Lloyd said, fully knowing he had just broken his son's heart, and that he was taking him away from his first love. They all knew Keely and Phil had been in love for a long time. It really was a shame that this turned out to be the time they decided to do something about it, but they belonged in 2121. Barb looked disapprovingly at Lloyd. She looked back at her children. What she saw made her eyes water. Phil was sitting in his seat, crying while clutching his pepper shaker with both hands. Pim was looking over at him with a concerned look, before she stretched over to hug her brother. Her daughter had feelings after all. An awkward silence filled the time machine for the rest of the trip.

About an hour and a half later(they got a little delayed when the Time-Police wanted Lloyds time travelling license, and he had to look for it for quite some time), they landed in their rightful century.

«Welcome home to 2121,» said the cheery female voice from the engine, before Lloyd turned around his keys and the engine shut down. For a moment everyone was silent. Pim was the first to break the silence.

«We're home!», Pim beamed before she unbuckled her seatbelt, and ran out of the time machine. The three remaining family members sat still while listening to Pim's happy homecoming. Then both Lloyd and Barb turned to face their son, with wet tears streaming down his cheeks.

«Just go. I'll be out in a minute,» Phil muttered in a hoarse voice. Barb and Lloyd exchanged a concerned look before they both stood up, took a couple of boxes filled with clothes and other belongings, and walked out.

Phil sat totally still for a while, just staring into the open air. He was home at last, but he'd never felt farther away from where he belonged. In fact, he was 115 years away from where he knew he belonged, where his home was. He let out a sigh though, took a box with him until he stepped onto the sidewalk outside their 2121 house. It did not look like his home. It did not have that old-fashioned charm that he'd grown fond of. The lawn was not the richest of green, but more of an unhealthy yellowish color. The house was a big and metallic silver, with big windows from every room. The door was black with no handle – it opened automatically once it recognised one of the Diffy's, or by their permission – and they didn't have anywhere near as much flowers as they'd had back in 2006. Phil walked slowly across the lawn and entered the house. He went upstairs, and as soon as he entered his room, he dropped the box not caring what was in it, before diving onto his bed with his face facing the pillows.

After lying on his bed for what seemed like hours, he turned around, and stood up. He walked over to the box dropped to his floor, and opened it. It revealed a lot of Phil's old clothes from the 21st century. _What would the guys say if I showed up in this in public? _he thought to himself, remembering the laughing and pointing from when he and Keely had used the Virtu-Goggles on a date to a mall in the future. Or, now, it would've been the present. After using his Wizard to wrap up the clothes neatly and carried them to his closet, something else seemed to be placed in the bottom of the box. Keely's music box, or as he'd called it since he was a little kid, his «Binky Boozy Box». He stood there totally still for a moment, before he picked it up and opened it. The melody streamed through the room, and he couldn't help but smile.

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Keely grapped her salt shaker, and looked at it.

«Phil,» she muttered, suddenly not caring she was being recorded, and sent live over all the tv screens at their school.

«I can't not say goodbye to Phil,» she simply said, before throwing all of her papers away, and ran past all the confused faces in the video lab. She ran through the entire school, and people stared after her as she made her way down the hall. She ran the short way to their neighborhood. Over by the Diffy's house, she could see their time machine parked by the sidewalk. She ran faster, faster than she'd ever thought her legs could carry her. _Please don't leave me_, she thought. _Phil, please_ ... Just as she reached their lawn she called his name, just to see their time machine disappear into thin air. For a moment her mind went totally blank. Then she realized she'd lost Phil, her best friend, first boyfriend and her only true love. She sat down on the ground, and didn't really know what to think. She struggeled to hold back the tears that was threatening to overflow.

«Goodbye, Phil,» she whispered before she began to sob.

Keely had no idea for how long she'd been sitting out there, crying, watching the spot there the Diffy's time machine no longer stood. A deep feeling of loneliness had overwhelmed her. What were she supposed to do now? Go on at school, pretending that nothing had ever happened? Sit alone at lunch and at every class, and go straight home and do her homework? Keely had known a long time that she really loved Phil. Not just in a romantic kind of way, but in every other way. She loved him as a friend, as a person, and most of all as the person she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Many people go through their entire life without finding «the one». She knew that she already had, at an age of 14. But as life turned out, he was taken away from her forever.

Keely sat in deep thoughts, still crying, on the Diffy's lawn as the front door behind her opened. She heard footsteps, but she didn't bother to turn around. Then the person sat down beside her and his strong smell gave him away.

«Keely sad,» Curtis grunted. In a lovable and totally unexpected way he put his arm around her.

«Curtis, what are you doing here?», Keely asked the caveman. She gave him a hug. At least Curtis was here, reminding her that everything had not been a long, wonderful dream.

«Curtis live here. Where's Phil?», Curtis wondered. Keely did not know what to say.

«Uh, Phil and the others... um, they went back to the future. They must've forgotten you,» Keely tried to explain. Curtis merely just grunted again, and continued to sit there with Keely until it started to get dark.

Keely served Curtis some food in the Diffy's house by using the key under the door mat, and made sure he got back to his garage. There wasn't anything else she could do about him now. She had to go home, if not, her mom would get worried. She tried her very hardest to keep the tears from streaming down her face. When her mom opened the door after she rang their door bell, she simply walked past her, and went upstairs to her bedroom. She closed her bedroom door before she fell onto her bed, face down. The sobbing started instantly.

She knew she didn't have to wait long before her mom would interrupt. And she did.

«Sweetie, what's wrong?», her mom asked in a concerned voice. Keely carefully rolled around until she was staring on the ceiling, not willing to meet her mother's eyes.

«Phil... uh, h-he left,» she muttered in between the sobs. She finally met her mom's eyes, and an expression of horror spread across her face.

«He just left? Left where? When's he coming back?», she questioned Keely.

«He moved. Far, far away. I'll never see him again,» she answered simply, surprised by the honest tone in her voice. It was true, though. They'd never meet again. Keely's mom didn't know what to do. They sat in silence for a while until she offered Keely brownies. When she refused, she just figured she's leave her daughter alone for a while. Keely was totally still for what could've been hours, days or weeks. She really didn't know.

«I wish I had my music box,» she whispered into the silent room, not exactly looking for an answer.

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A/N: Again, I hope you like it. Yeah, I know it's not too long... but please leave me a review :D


	2. Aftermath and hope

Phil was on his bed staring into the air. He had absolutely no idea for how long he'd been lying there, and he didn't really care. He was feeling seriously depressed. He was feeling very lonely, and he did not really think there was a point in continuing his life. What was the point? He'd lost his one and only love. He heard a knock on the door.

«Phil? Are you hungry? I got your favorite, peanutbut-,» Barb tried, but she was interrupted by Phil.

«No thanks Mom. I just wanna be alone,» he said, not entirely sure if it was loud enough for her to hear. But he guessed she did, because she heard her sigh, put something down on the floor by his door before turning away and walk down the stairs. Phil didn't move. He was thinking about Keely, of course. He missed her badly. Not only was the fact that he would never see her again awful, but the worst thought was that Keely was probably dead. She had already gone on with her life, probably gotten married and maybe she got kids. She'd had a successful reporting career, he was totally sure of it. Keely was the most wonderful person he'd ever known, and she was a very talented reporter. He knew she'd made it big.

After wondering for a couple of minutes, he had an idea. Why lie around here wondering when he could just check The Giggle?

«Of course,» he muttered to himself before he stormed out of his room, downstairs. As he passed the kitchen his family was eating lunch and they were all staring at him, and smiling.

«What are you doing here, Phil? Feeling any better?», Lloyd asked, between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs and bread. Phil was outside at once, and climbed into the time machine. They had yet to get all of their boxes of stuff and belongings from the time machine. He found the one he was looking for, labeled «Phil's future gadgets», and carried it out of the time machine. As he passed his family, he tried to force a smile. It seemed as though they bought it, cause they all smiled back, even Pim. Miraculously, Pim had been very nice to him ever since they got home. She was the one who'd seen them together at school, and she was perhaps the first one to notice that Keely and Phil shared a special bond. Phil almost smiled at the thought. Just almost, though.

He sat down on his bed, before carefully opening his box. He retrieved his Wizard, Insta Morph, New-Ager, and Replicator before he finally found his Giggle. He took it out, and he activated it. He pulled down the screen from the helmet he was now wearing.

«Giggle, on,» he said in a surprisingly clear voice, before it repeated him.

«Search Keely Teslow, year 2035, news reporter.» The Giggle showed him once again a video of a beautiful, grown up Keely reporting in what looked like Egypt, for CNN. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that all of Keely's hard work had paid off. But, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy that she'd done it with someone else. As wonderful as she was, surely she would find some awesome, faithful guy who didn't leave her to go back to the future. His stomach turned in a dangerous way, and once again, he felt a single tear twinkling on his cheek. Then he froze. He was still watching the news report with a stunning Keely wearing a black pantsuit, her blonde hair curling its way down her front, and her shining, blue-green eyes and some shiny, silver earrings. What he noticed now, was that apart from the video he'd seen with Keely ages ago, Keely was not wearing a wedding band. She was not married. She might even be single. He felt really guilty as this information made him really happy. This was not fair to her. He'd left. She had every right to move on, and find someone else. Yet, she hadn't. Was it really possible that Keely cared as much for him as he did for her, and that it was impossible to move on from him as he knew he couldn't move on from her? The feeling of guilt was still there in the pit of his stomach, but it didn't overpower the true feeling of happiness that made him smile so big that his face was starting to hurt. Keely loved him.

Keely was standing on her bedroom floor, deep in thought. Her entire closet was emptied, and all its contents were lying in a pile on the floor. She had no idea what to wear. This would be her first day back at school after being allowed to stay home for a couple of days. She was beyond happy that her mom was somewhat understanding about the whole situation. She'd been really great to her, cooking her favorite dinners and treating her with a girls only trip to the city, giving her mani-pedis and a new haircut. But now she was standing there, unable to decide what to wear. In some way, everything reminded her of Phil. Her cute dark green tank with reddish flowers on it, that she wore the time that she'd totally embarrassed herself by saying she wanted to be Phil's «girlfriend», and then trying to talk around it... or the green sweaterdress with the pink belt that she wore on her birthday when Phil made her a picnic... and the orange and white pladded sweater she wore when they were babysitting... on the bottom of the pile was one of her favorites, the light blue tank with the white detailing on that she wore a couple of days ago when they finally became a couple. Every piece of clothing was filled with memories she couldn't handle at the moment. She looked at the time on her bedside alarm clock. 7.23am. She didn't start school for another hour. She decided to do something she'd never consider ever doing again, but she was desperate. Still dressed in the dressing robe, she went downstairs and found some Pop tarts(her mom had just bought her favorite ones, raspberry) and put them in the toaster and waited for them to finish. As soon as they popped up from the toaster, she swallowed them both in a couple of bites. She ran upstairs again and fetched her backpack and her purse containing her wallet. Then she went outside, into the garage. At the back she found her bike. Knowing she looked totally crazy, she jumped on her bike and sped down the street to the centre of Pickford. Then she spotted her favorite clothing store down the street, and parked her bike. The store was not open yet. She glanced at the watch on her left wrist, informing her that she'd have to wait for about ten minutes for the store to open.

Then, 3 minutes past 8am, the owner flipped the sign in the window from saying «closed» to «Welcome!». She opened the door and heard the bells chime to say that someone had just entered. The owner, Mrs. Wilson, looked at her like she was maniac. _I can't blame her_, Keely thought to herself. She started browsing the racks. She spotted the purple top she'd wanted for so long but never had the guts to buy after she'd noticed the price. Now she didn't care at all. She found a cute dark denim skirt and some matching purple leggings. She moved towards the mirror, and held all the pieces of clothing in front of her, deciding that they'd fit. She sighed, and made her way over to the cash register and put her items on the counter.

«Um, are you all right, Keely?», mrs. Wilson asked. Keely came by the store very frequently, but usually she was fully dressed and her hair and makeup was done.

«Yeah, I'm fine... just couldn't decide what to wear, that's all,» Keely said, a nervous laugh escaping her mouth. After she paid, she brought her items into the dressing room and changed into her brand new clothes. She turned around in front of the mirror in the light beige dressing room. She had to admit, she looked good. After packing the dress robe back into the bag, and putting it down in her backpack, she walked out of the store, throwing a goodbye at Mrs. Wilson before closing the door. She was standing right by Pickford Square, and she walked over to one of the benches. It was slightly windy, but the sun was shining. She found it odd that the sun could make everything _seem_ so okay, when she felt all cloudy on the inside. After realizing she had to get to school, she threw herself on her bike once again, and raced all the way to the school.

Before she hurried over to the video lab for the morning news, she went to the ladies's room to freshen up. After putting her messy hair in a ponytail, and putting on some mascara, she heard someone outside the door, talking. She didn't know why, but she hurried into the nearest stall. She heard a couple of giggling girls enter, talking, unknowing that she was there.

«And you know that Teslow girl? Keely? She skipped school for 3 days cuz of a _guy_! I mean, how pathetic!», said one of the girls, that Keely recognized as Candida, the leader of the Fashion Zombies. Keely stood as still as she could, attempting not too breathe too loudly. Not that they could hear her breathe over their loud giggles, though.

«I thought you liked Keely. Adored her, actually. I mean, she's so gorge-,» one of the Fashion Zombies whom Keely did not know the name of started, before getting interrupted by Candida.

«Are you _serious_? She's so last year! I mean, now she's just a pathetic, alone girl!», she said. Keely heard her smacking her lips, after probably having applied lipgloss. Keely felt a tear on her cheek. Did everyone think this? Come to think of it, she didn't have many friends. Both Tia and Via had moved away, and Phil had been her best friend for the past years. She heard the younger girls exit the room gossiping about Candida's latest crush, but Keely still felt unable to move. A couple of minutes later, she realized she had to run to make the news recording. She smoothed out her new shirt, glanced at her reflection in the mirror one last time before running to the video lab.

Phil was feeling remarkably better, not totally understanding why. Why should he be so happy that Keely was not married, when he was still stuck in the future and she was already dead? Yet he had a feeling of undying hope deep inside. Sure there was some way of fixing this mess... Just in that moment, his Wizard lit up, and his awesome alarm told him he had to wake up. Only then did he realize he'd been up all night thinking about Keely. Again. This was the third night in a row. He could not focus properly on school. His mind was always somewhere else. 100 years back in time, to be exact. He got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. Nobody else was awake yet. He liked waking up a little extra early to have the house all to himself in the mornings. He opened one of the drawers filled with seasonal spray food(such as Unification Meatloaf, Christmas Turkey and more) cuz that was the drawer that people wouldn't likely open anytime soon. Behind all of the spray cans, he found what he was looking for. His toaster, and a package of Raspberry Pop Tarts. He liked the old fashioned cooking. Cooking as in heating up Pop Tarts in a toaster. He'd grown fond of the Pop Tarts back in 2006, so he brought some with him. Keely loved the Raspberry ones. So every morning he ate some in secret. He really missed 2006, and it was not just because of Keely. He liked the fresh air, how neighbors were all so friendly, and the old fashioned houses with big gardens filled with flowers. Once again, he felt the stinging pain in his stomach, missing the place and people he'd loved so much. He just sat there, eating his Pop Tarts in silence. Just as he finished, the whole family came rushing in the door to the kitchen. All of them looked rather tired, and Phil watched in amusement as each of them pulled out their favorite breakfast spraycans and getting their food ready. Only when they sat down at the table did they notice him sitting there.

«Gosh, Phil, why are you always up so early?», Pim grunted. Phil almost chuckled at their surprise, before placing his plate beside the sink. He ran upstairs, and picked up the Giggle. Once again he put it on, searching for Keely Teslow through the years, watching her from her late teens and through her life, becoming a more beautiful woman at every news report. It was easy to spend his time like this. Not having to think much, just enjoying the sight of Keely, pretending he was the man she would go home to every day after work. He knew he had to make that happen somehow.

Keely sat by her desk in the dim lighting, staring blankly down at her algebra. She didn't understand any of it. Back in the days Phil had explained it all to her using vegetables, but this was way more complicated. It had been 3 weeks since that painful day when Phil left. She didn't think about him all the time anymore, but at times like these she would remember the good old times. She would feel a tear or two running down her cheeks before wiping them away, and then she would continue whatever she was doing. She kind of knew she couldn't keep this going for much longer. She cried every night, and she hated the feeling of not knowing what to do. There was nothing she could do. According to Phil, the time machines wouldn't be invented for another 110 years. Yet, she did not lose hope. Some time, in some way, she had to see Phil again. She continued to stare down at her book, her mind at Phil. She was thinking about the wonderful feeling of holding his hand, not noticing the time being long past midnight.


	3. Date invitations & Friends

**A/N: First of all: Thank you so much for reviewing! I am writing this mostly for myself, cuz I need the closure myself. But it's so nice to see that other people actually enjoy my writing! Thanks again! **

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Keely slowly ate her salad, while Savannah was talking about the movie they saw yesterday. It had now been 3 weeks since Phil left, and she missed him more than ever. Thankfully, she had found a friend in Savannah. They'd known each other forever, just never thought they had anything in common. But when Savannah's best friend Melissa moved away, they sort of just found each other. They were now pretty good friends. Not in any way at the level she and Phil had been, but it was nice for her not to be totally alone. Savannah helped Keely keep her mood up. Whenever she saw that Keely was thinking about Phil, she'd cheer her up. It made Keely feel better in the moment, but later at night she always broke down in tears. This helped her keep her life balanced. If she didn't cry, it all just builed up inside of her. She missed Phil terribly, but she was now able to genuinely smile whilst at school.

«So, how did the algebra test go?», Savannah asked in a worried tone. That was at least something they had in common; they were both hopeless at math.

«Actually, not so good. I used to study with...», Keely hesitated. Not only had she lost her study friend, but Phil always gave her moral support during tests. He never gave her the answers, just a small smile while she was having trouble with one of the answers. She didn't know how much she appreciated these small moments until they were gone. Savannah seemed to understand her mistake, but it was already done.

«Ah, I'm sorry,» she said apologetically. She'd also lost her best friend, but even though she'd known Melissa for nearly half of her life, they weren't as close as Keely and Phil.

«No, Vanny, it's OK. Life moves on,» Keely mumbled while taking another bite of salad. That was the question though: Did life go on as normal after a while? Her thoughts were interrupted by the football team's quarterback, Tim, who were suddenly standing right behind her.

«Hey Keely. So, there's this new movie showin', and I was wondering if you'd wanna go with me?», he said in what other girls might say was a sexy voice. Keely, however, nearly choked on a piece of salad.

«What? Are you serious?», she wondered with eyes wide with shock. Tim looked slightly more confident. He ran his hair through his highlighted, blond hair. Yet, he did not seem to expect Keely's next response.

«I'm very sorry Tim. I bet you're a great guy, I'm just... Uh, just not ready for that,» she told him apologetically, seconds before the bell rang. Keely felt slightly mean as she took her lunch tray with her, and left Tim standing by her table. Savannah followed her.

«Wow. I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn down Tim,» she chuckled with a gleam in her eye. She'd had a crush on him for a while, but she still couldn't help but laugh at Tim's confused expression after being turned down. With a little effort, Keely managed to smile back. She couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable, and the mental photo of her getting her first kiss from someone other than Phil was burned into her mind.

She was discussing the debate from English class with Savannah while walking to their science class. Then she heard Savannah starting to giggle beside her. She looked over at her, and she felt a little shocked seeing her friend twirling her long, brown hair in between her fingers. Savannah looked over at her friend, seeing her confusion, before slightly nodding her head in front of them. Then Keely gasped. Another guy from the football team, Will, was walking straight toward her. He was definitely one of the most handsome guys in the school, with his caramel colored eyes, tan skin and dark brown hair. Yet, Keely was not interested. _Oh no_, she thought. What was with all guys today? She came to a halt, and let Will seductively close the distance between them. Savannah was now laughing so hard she backed away until she hit the lockers and sat down on the floor. She could clearly see how uncomfortable Keely was in that moment, and she found it hilarious. Keely smiled at her friend's silliness, before turning her attetion back to Will. He looked confused, but came back to himself before he asked her out.

«So, Keely... You and me, pizza and a movie, 7 o'clock? Where do I pick you up?», he winked at her. Keely almost chuckled at his obvious confidence, but she had to turn him down nicely. This was just starting to get funny.

«Ah, sorry Will. Not interested,» she said, trying hard to hold back the laughter as Will, just as Tim, looked back at her, seriously confused. She dragged Savannah up from the floor, before they ran away laughing. Then they were standing in front of Keely's locker. Keely opened it and took out her science book. Then Artie, the sound guy from the video lab, came up to her. _This isn't happening_, she thought. Then Artie smiled, flashing his teeth at her, before looking at the book in her hands.

«You like chemistry, eh? So do I! You know, you and I have-», he started, before he was interrupted by Keely.

«Eh, sorry, Artie. Not interested,» she said with a weak smile. _What was it with everybody today?_ She felt kind of bad as she once again left a guy behind, but she and Savannah opened the door to science just as the bell rang.

«Why is everyone asking me out today?», Keely said as they walked up the street to her house. Savannah rolled her eyes.

«Please, don't tell me you don't know,» she said in an obvious kind of voice.

«What?», Keely wondered, genuinely confused.

Savannah looked down Keely's body. She was wearing dark pants, paired with some pink flats. She looked really amazing in her yellow and pink flowered top, and she had a yellow flower in her hair.

«I mean, you have to know, you're gorgeous». Keely blushed at her words.

«Really? I'm gorgeous?», she smiled. Savannah rolled her eyes again. Keely laughed.

«But why didn't they ask me out before... you know?», Keely asked, blushing an even brighter red.

«Well...», Savannah started. She didn't know how to say this to her, so she just spit it out. «All the guys kinda... Um, understood you weren't on the market, you know? Even though you and, uh, Phil, didn't date for a looong time, everyone saw the spark between you, and the gleam in your eyes. They're not all stupid, you know. At least smart enough to back off».

Keely looked up at the sky. She was really embarrassed to learn that everyone besides herself seemed to have known she and Phil had been perfect for each other. Sure, she'd had a crush on Phil when she first met him, but she never thought that much about it. She always pushed those feelings away so that they wouldn't screw up their friendship. But why hadn't they both realized sooner that they were perfect for each other? Why did they have to wait for so long? She thought about this every day. The big question: Why did they wait? Then she noticed they were outside her house.

«Hey, listen, I have to study for my history test», Keely said carefully picking that as an excuse, history being the only subject they didn't both take. Savannah somehow seemed to see through the lie, but she understood. She knew better than anyone what Keely went through, so she simply smiled before continuing down the street. Her house was about 5 minutes away from Keely's, and she started humming while she walked away from Keely. Keely unlocked the door, and ran upstairs before tossing her backpack on the floor. She was beyond thankful that she managed to get this far before breaking down. She fell onto her bed, before crying her eyes out while clutching her salt shaker(that she akways carried with her in her backpack). She reached over to turn on the CD player on her nightstand, and «In a second» by her favorite band Aly and Aj started playing. With a hoarse voice, she sang along:

_Don't know where you are_

_wish I just could be near you_

_I would sail oceans_

_to get a glimpse of how you feel..._

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As always, Phil was sitting in his room with the Giggle on, watching Keely through the years. He was addicted. He had to see her. Even though every time he saw it, the pain of not being there for her became stronger, he simply couldn't stay away. He had to see her sparkling eyes, her excited expression as she was reporting from various places in the world, and her beautiful, glossy blond hair. He had to stare at her hands, where a wedding ring still wasn't present. He smiled, before taking a deep breath, and then he shut off the Giggle. He had plans with his friends Nate and Thomas, and he didn't want to be in a bad mood. His moments with Keely were agonizing, yet cheerful. They hurt him in a way he didn't know were possible before, but they were what kept him sane. He missed her so badly, words didn't cover it. But he made plans with his friends to get his mind off things. Nate just got home from a vacation at the beach, and Phil sure had a lot of things to tell him. It was so weird to think that he'd been away for more than 2 years, but he was back in the future and everything was the same. He was the one who'd changed. He'd told Thomas everything, cuz he had to get it out to someone who hadn't been there with him, and wouldn't interrupt him with those smiles of pity like his family did. He sensed a strange vibe from Thomas ever since he told him everything, but he was sure he was fine. He changed into a black sweater with silver patches on it, similar to what he'd worn when to took Keely to the future virtually. He'd started to like it now, and it felt like he had a little bit of Keely with him. He'd also used his Wizard to skrink his pepper shaker, and he carried it around with him in his pocket everywhere. No one knew that, though. They wouldn't understand anything, after all.

* * *

Keely suddenly woke. She was lying in her bed with her clothes on, but she had a blanket on top off her. She smiled at the thought of her mom. She'd been so supportive the last couple of weeks. She was still holding on to her salt shaker like her life depended on it. She yawned one single time, before she sat up. She looked over at the clock. The big red numbers told her it was 3 in the morning, and that she'd been sleeping for about 10 hours. She didn't feel tired at all. But she had a strange need to go somewhere. She turned on the light on her bedside table, before looking in the drawers for her flashlight. She found it in the third drawer, and right next to it she saw her purple notebook. She grabbed both of them, and then she took a pen from her desk. She slowly walked down the stairs, being extremely careful not to wake up her mom. She entered the black night, breathing in the fresh air. She chuckled to herself, realizing just how insane she was. _Love makes people crazy, I guess_. She continued walking down the street in the night, clutching her denim jacket closer to protect her from the cold wind. That's when she reached her destination. The school. She knew exactly where to go. She sat down by one of the trees on the lawn by the school, and she lit her flashlight. She just sat there, staring at the engraved letters on the tree trunk,

_Keely & Phil _

_Friends Forever._

The promise that their friendship would last forever. How do you do that when you live a century apart? Then she got a wonderful idea. She picked up her notebook and her pen and started to write, wiping away the tears splattering onto the paper as she cried.

* * *

Phil and his friends were playing Laser Squash at the field by his house. They liked to change rules up a little bit in order for the three of them to all play at the same time, as well as making it a bit more exciting. Phil had more fun than he'd had in a while. Just for a while he was able to think about something other than Keely. Not forget her, but pushing her back in his mind, in order to prioritize other thoughts. He felt carefree. They ended the game, Phil being the winner as usual. He had to admit, he was a killer at Laser Squash. The 2 years he'd spent in the 21st century(he ached to say 'home') he'd played regularly with his dad, but not nearly as much as he would've at home. Still, he was far better than both his friends. That pleased him.

After finishing up, the went to the mall to eat lunch. He let his friends decide, and sadly they were both in the mood for a restaurant at the beach. They just happened to end up at the exact place he and Keely had went for their virtual date. He tried to not think about it, so he sat down with his friends acting totally normal. When the handsome robot Keely had flirted with came over with their menus however, he felt a betraying tear in one of his eyes. He quickly blinked it away, hoping none of them would notice. But he was very wrong.

«What's up, dude? Are you crying?», Nate chuckled. Thomas looked over at Phil, and looked thought ful for a moment, before he joined Nate in the laughter.

«You're not thinking about that girl again, are you? What was her name again? Kelly?», he laughed. Their lack of sympathy surprised Phil. _I've been hanging around a girl too much_, he concluded.

«It's Keely,» he whispered. Nate now looked thoroughly confused, so Phil told him everything. Every now and then Thomas would add a quick comment to his story, whenever he thought Phil missed a point.

«Oh, are you still thinking about that girl? Isn't that kinda pathetic, Phil?», Nate chuckled. Thomas didn't act any nicer, either. To be honest, Phil was shocked. What had happened to his friends? Or had he changed? After all he'd been away for 2 years. Nate and Thomas continued to tease him for a while, before Phil wouldn't have any of it anymore.

«Nevermind. I'll leave you alone,» he said before standing up and leaving. He did not turn to see the shocked expressions of his friends. If he could call them friends.

Phil wandered the street towards his house. He paced slowly, not really wanting to go home. This day had started off so great, so why did it have to end so badly? He then saw his house, and came to a halt. Then he got a crazy idea. As the sudden inspiration hit him, he ran inside. His family was eating lunch in the kitchen. They all looked up at Phil with curious looks when he entered the kitchen.

«Dad, can I borrow your Omnimatic Grabifiers?», Phil asked. His dad looked slightly shocked for a minute, before he told him he could. Phil didn't stay for another minute. He knew where they were, and ran straight for the garage. For some reason his dad stored all his gadgets in the garage. He found what he was looking for, before he ran to the local park. He soon found what he was looking for. A very tall tree, with his parents' names engraved on the trunk. He smiled a little at the sign of his parents' affection. He then looked up, and saw what he was looking for. Way up there, he could see his own name paired with Keely's. He wanted to see it up close. He reached into his pockets and found the Omnimatic Grabifiers, and put them on. While wearing them, he could climb up the tree without any struggle. After just a little while he was right by the engraving. He smiled as he saw it up close. Here was the one living proof of his love and friendship for Keely. That's when he noticed something was different. The 'K' in Keely had a deeper cut in it. He released one of his hands from the tree trunk, and tried getting a finger into the hole. He felt something that definitely wasn't tree. He took out his Wizard, and he used it to get the thing out. He slowly folded it out, to make sure he didn't rip the fragile paper. His eyes widened with shock when he saw what it was. It was an old envelope, with his name written on it. He didn't have to think it over a second to be sure this was Keely's handwriting. It was sort of twirly, with a tiny heart over the 'i'. He didn't feel like reading it up there, so he folded it back and put it in his pocket before climbing down the tree. He sat down and leaned his back against the tree, before he took in a deep breath. He was in a strange way scared to reveal the content of the envelope, yet too excited not to. Keely had left it there for one purpose, for him to read it. He slowly opened the envelope containing a letter.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! I know they're not too long, but they're getting longer and longer. And sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger there;D**

**PS: I actually didn't notice until after I had written it that I chose an Aly & Aj song for her to listen to. Kind of ironic. For those of you who doesn't know, the actress who plays Keely(Alyson Michalka) is in a group with her sister, formerly known as Aly & Aj... I just love the song and I think it fits :D**

**PS(again): Did anyone notice how opposite things happen to them? I mean, in this chapter Keely gained a friend, and Phil kind of lost two... I think there has been stuff like that in my earlier chapters... **

**Anyways, please R&R! I really appreciate it!**

**- Sigrid**


	4. Home

**A/N:** Hey guys! This took a little longer than expected, and I'm really sorry. I had a writer's block. But I just finished this, and I hope you like it! Please leave me a review, telling me your opinion! And I'm sorry for the lack of Keely in this chapter, but I couldn't come up with any good storyline for her. And there's a cliffhanger here... Pheely in the next chapter, I promise!

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Home**

Phil took a deep breath, before unfolding the fragile paper. He glanced down at the letter in his hands, filled with Keely's neat handwriting. It was dated May 11th 2006, exactly 1 month, a week and three days after he left. Maybe Keely also had trouble letting him go, the way he couldn't let her go if his life depended on it? He was still scared to read it, but he honestly didn't see any other way. He had to read it. For her, for himself and his own sanity. He read it slowly to make sure he didn't miss a single word.

_«Phil,_

_I'm lost and alone. Well, not entirely alone. I've made friends with Savannah. I know, who knew? But even when I'm with her, I feel lonely. Nothing's the same. Everything's different, and not in a good way. My life feels... empty, in a strange way I cannot explain. I miss you with my whole heart and being. From all of your warm smiles and hugs, to your support in school and life. I have no idea how I'm going to survive this school year alone..._

_Will you ever come back for me? Is it pointless for me to wait for you? Every morning when I step out the door, I wish I'll see your time machine parked by your house. Every day in class I hope you'll suddenly walk in and sit down in your seat like nothing's changed. _

_I'll wait. I'll always wait. I'll be here if you ever decide to come back._

_And I hope you know deep down that you're way more than my friend..._

_Keely»_

Phil had to remind himself to breathe. The letter was breathtaking. He couldn't believe that it seemed like Keely felt exactly the same as what he felt. She wanted to wait for him. Phil slapped himself. He deserved it. He made this mess. He should never have made friends with Keely, especially not this close. He was hurting Keely deeply every single day, just because he was now back where he belonged. In a selfish kind of way though, it felt good. He couldn't ignore the fact that he was glad Keely missed him too. And that only made it worse. He hadn't only ruined his own life, he had to take Keely down with him, and he was glad he had. This was a sick world.

With the letter from Keely folded again in his back pocket, he headed home. He was in no hurry. He felt awful, and didn't really want to be around people. In this mood he would most likely make someone else sad too, and that was the last thing he wanted right now. In a way, he wished he'd never met Keely. He had ruined everything for her. But what would his life be like then? Would he be alone for the rest of his life, or would he love someone else, and marry them? He couldn't possibly imagine that. He wanted to be with Keely. He wished they never fixed the time machine, and that they were still back in 2006.

He had now reached the house, and he went inside. He went looking for his parents, before finding them both sitting down in the living room, discussing something quietly.

«Hey guys, what's up?» Phil asked his parents. They both jumped at the sound of his voice, and ended their discussion abruptly.

«Geez, it's just me» he laughed half-heartedly. His parents both exchanged a look at each other, before turning back to him.

«Phil, we need to talk,» Lloyd said, and gestured for Phil to sit down at their couch. Phil was confused, and looked at his parents, before Barbara spoke.

«Phil, tell us what is going through your head. You are not happy,» Barbara stated matter-of-factly. Phil started back, knowing he couldn't get out of this. He balanced his elbows on his knees, and buried his face in his face.

«No, I'm not happy,» he said, defeated. He knew his parents where waiting for him to continue, so he looked up at them before letting everything inside of him go.

«I miss Keely like crazy, and I don't know what to do about it. Nate and Thomas thinks I'm weird, cuz of course I changed alot during the last 2 years. I don't feel at home here. I miss the 21st century. The old fashioned cooking, their weird technologies, the fresh air and the school. Yes, I miss the school. My friends, my locker, the news... And Keely. I miss Keely. I don't know how I can live without her for any longer, but I have no choice,» he ranted. All the words he'd been keeping inside of him had been aching, and it felt good to let it go, yet he felt very vulnerable. He wiped away a couple of tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. He looked into his parents' eyes again, and he could clearly see their hurt expressions. Maybe they were both hoping that he wasn't hurting quite this much. It actually hurt to look in his mother's eyes. She was always so nice and compassionate, and it clearly hurt to see her son like this.

The room was filled with a silence caused by no one knowing what to say, and no one daring to leave. Barbara was the first to say anything after about 5 minutes of silence.

«Phil, what can we do?» she asked with genuinely worry in her eyes.

«I wanna go home. My real home,» he answered honestly. He was shocked to find no surprise in their eyes.

«We know, son. In a way, the 21st century is a home to us all now.»

«Then why don't we go back? If all of us want to?» Phil asked frustrated.

«Phil, they made a law to prevent anyone from going back as soon as you got home. There's nothing we can do,» Lloyd reasoned. Phil felt defeated. He had to find a solution soon, though. He couldn't possibly keep this going for much longer.

«I'm going to bed,» he said before walking up to his room, feeling the eyes on his back.

* * *

Keely woke up abruptly, and it took a minute to understand where she was. Of course. In the park. She must have fallen asleep by the tree. Crying always made her really tired. She checked her watch, only to find out she hadn't been asleep for too long. It was almost 5 in the morning. She couldn't hang around here. She got up, and she had to stretch out her sore muscles. Her butt ached after sitting on the roots of the tree. As she walked home, she couldn't help but wonder if sometime in the future, more than a 100 years from now, Phil actually read her letter? She hoped he would visit her sometime. She already missed him, and she couldn't do anything at all about it. He had a time machine, and an ability to get one. She felt helpless. Not that there was anything to do with that. She could try harder to move on... The problem about that was that she didn't really want to move on. She'd rather wait her whole life for him to get back. She was in it for life. Once you find your true love, there's no going back.

* * *

Phil took a deep breath, before he entered the big house in the middle of the city. He walked right past the receptionist behind the desk. He had an appointment, and he didn't want some stranger to tell him he was too young to be there. He entered the elevator, before a mechanic voice streamed over the speakers.

«Where are you headed, Mr. Phil Diffy?»

«To the department of time travel, please,» he answered in a bored voice. He'd been here before. At least it felt like it. He was there virtually when he had to visit the ministry for school. That's where he was. The ministry of the United States. He had had enough of sitting around without doing something. If some stupid law was the one and only reason for him and Keely being separated, he had to do something. The elevator stopped and the doors opened with a ping sound. He felt a little bit more unsure now as he stepped out of the elevator. He saw another reception desk, and he figured he couldn't avoid this one. As he got closer, he saw the lady behind the desk eye him suspiciously, no doubt wondering what a teenage boy his age was doing here.

«Hello. Do you have an appointment?» she asked in a sour tone, as if she wouldn't believe him not matter what he said.

«Hello, my name is Phil Diffy. I have an appointment for 11,» he answered, trying to keep his tone polite, despite the lady's impoliteness. Her eyes widened when she checked the computer to see that he was right. But she still didn't trust him.

«Will you please give me your fingerprint, please?» gesturing to a red circle on the side of the desk, where she wanted him to press down his finger. Phil sighed, and did as he was told.

«Mr. Phil Diffy, verified,» a new manly mechanic voice said.

«Mr. Hillsbury will be ready for you in about 10 minutes. Please sit down over there,» she pointed at some dark blue armchairs by the window. Phil sat down in one of them and waited. He brushed his dark pants and straightened up his tie while waiting. He had to dress very nice for this appointment. He had some serious convincing to do.

«Mr. Hillsbury is ready for you now. Please enter his office,» the receptionist called. Phil walked across the room, and walked through the door that opened as soon as he got near it. He walked in nervously, before standing at the back of a chair i front of a desk.

«Sit down, please,» Mr. Hillsbury said. Phil did as he was asked, and sat down.

«May I ask why you are here?» he asked politely.

«I was wondering if I could get an exception on the law about not going back to the past after time traveling already?» Phil replied hopefully. Mr. Hillsbury chuckled.

«I'm afraid, no. You are the reason we had to make the law in the first place. You almost revealed the secret to this Mr. Hackett far too many times.»

«But you don't understand. I have to go back. My friend Keely is back there, and I really love her. I want to go back and live there, and my family as well. Please just consider it!» Phil tried desperately. He simply couldn't stay here any longer. He was really surprised to see the compassion in Mr. Hillsbury's eyes and consideration on his face.

«This Keely, you really love her?»

«Yes, I truly do. I just realized it too late.»

«I lost my love once. I did a stupid mistake and left her after one of our fights. I cam back 6 months later to find her married. Go for it. You have my permission to go back to the past. For your sake I hope this Keely is there to wait for you. If she is, don't ever let her go,» Mr. Hillsbury said and wiped away a tear. Slightly shocked, Phil got up slowly.

«Thank you so much, sir!»

«Don't worry about it.»

With that, Phil left the office with a big smile on his face. They could go back to the past. He could see Keely again soon.

* * *

«Mom, Dad, Pim! I have some great news!» Phil shouted as he ran through the door. His family sat at their kitchen table eating lunch, and looked at him with confused eyes. Barbara smiled when she saw the big smile on her son's face.

«We have permission to go back home! I got the permission from Mr. Hillsbury himself!» he announced with the widest smile on his lips. All three of them got up and hugged Phil tightly.

«Are you serious? My goal for world domination is back in business!» Pim said happily. Even Pim missed the 21st century. After Pim left the room happily, to plan some sick plan, he sat down with his parents.

«Are you sure of this?» Lloyd asked. The look in Barbra's eyes confirmed that she wondered about the same.

«Well, selfishly, this is what I want. And we all saw Pim, I think she's in on it too. But please! I know it's up to you, but just... think about it! This is really important to me,» Phil replied desperately.

«Mom, didn't you just love the old fashioned cooking, gardening and even treating Mr. Hackett? You loved it there. And, Dad, didn't you enjoy working at the store?» Phil begged. His whole life was depending on convincing his parents. He knew deep down that they all enjoyed living there. They were constantly hoping to get home, but now that they were here, none of them seemed as happy as they should. They had all gotten used to the charming Pickford back in the 21st century. Phil's heart filled with hope when his parents looked at each other and smiled.

«We'll think about it,» Barbra said. Phil jumped right out of his chair.

«YES!» he cheered. He ran upstairs with a big smile on his face. He had hope.

That night Phil had absolutely no hope at sleeping. He was figuring out tens of different scenarios in his head about his and Keely's big reunion. Well... What if she wouldn't take him back? What if him leaving was too much for her to forgive? This was about the 5th time that night that this thought crossed his mind. Then he clapped his hands twice and the lamp on his bedside table lit up. He reached out for the folded note next to his lamp. He read it over and over again.

«_I'll wait. I'll always wait. I'll be here if you ever decide to come back.»_

That particular part always made him smile. He trusted Keely. If she said she would take him back no matter what, he knew she would.

That morning when he went down to breakfast, he had barely gotten 2 hours of sleep. He yawned, and then he froze when he saw the smiling faces of his parents. After a couple of seconds searching through his brain for a reason for his parents' happiness, he understood.

«Are we going back?» he grinned. His parents just nodded, and Phil started dancing around in the kitchen. He ran upstairs and knocked on Pim's door. After a minute or so, a very unhappy and tired Pim opened the door.

«What can possibly be the reason for this unexplained noise so early in the morning?» she grumbled. Phil was in such a good mood, he actually hugged his sister.

«What is going on?» Pim asked before pushing him away.

«We are going back! We're going home!» he grinned. Pim's face visibly lit up, and she ran downstairs with Phil right behind her.

«Is it true? Are we really going back?» Pim squealed.

«Yes, back to where we belong. All of us,» Lloyd said, and smiled at Phil.

Both Pim and Phil suddenly raced back upstairs.

«What are you doing?» Barbra called?

«We're packing!» Phil shouted back.

«When are we going?» Pim asked.

* * *

«Anyone else getting a sense of Deja vu here?» Lloyd asked. Barbra giggled while she buckled her seatbelt.

«Lloyd, this is very different. The last time we were in here, we were pretty much all sad. And the first time we left 2121, we had no idea what was in front of us.» Barbra turned to look at her son, who never lost the grin.

«Now we're going back to someone and the place we all love.»

«Oh, yeah, enough with the gooey stuff. I just wanna rule the world,» Pim sighed. «They're so stupid after all, it shouldn't be hard.»

«Oh, what about Danny?» Barbra asked her daughter, before she winked at her. Pim blushed furiously.

«That is beside the point!»

Phil didn't get much of the banter going on around him. He was clutching his pepper shaker, and he was smiling from ear to ear. The impossible was finally happening. They were all going back, and he would see Keely again!

«Ok guys, last chance here. We all want to go back to the 21st century? Now there's no going back. We can't keep going back and forward. We have to really decide this time,» Lloyd asked his family.

«Yes!» all of them replied at the same time, with a big smile on their lips.

«Ok, then, we're going home!» Lloyd said before he turned the key in the ignition. The engine growled, and the lights came on.

«Hello, Lloyd Diffy. You are now traveling through time. When you are at your destination, park the time vehicle, and you're free to go,» the robot voice of the time machine said. And then they traveled for the next hour, back to 2006.

* * *

«We're here!» Llyod said before turning off the engine. Pim yawned as she regained consciousness.

«What date, Dad?» Phil asked. Lloyd looked at the time clock to the left of him, and said it was the 11th of May 2006.

«Dad,» Phil groaned. «That's 3 weeks after we left. Can't we just go back to the day we left? Why hurt Keely more than necessary?»

«Phil, it's hard to steer this thing. To jump just 3 weeks would be very hard. Besides, it's just 3 weeks. She'll deal.»

Phil gave in with a sigh. He unbuckled his seat belt, before he stretched his arms and legs.

«So, what are we waiting for?» Barbra asked. They all unbuckled their seat belts, before they each took a stack of their belongings and went outside. They were all quite shocked when they saw someone was waiting for them.

«Curtis!» all of them exclaimed.

«I knew we forgot something,» Lloyd complained while rubbing his forehead.

«PHIL!» Curtis grunted before he basically ran at him. Phil hugged him back with a smile.

«Good to see you.»

Pim laughed evilly before she ran upstairs, carrying her personal belongings.

«Don't want to know what she's up to,» Phil muttered to himself. Both of his parents took on the job of carrying all of their clothes, gadgets, packed furniture and other belongings. Thanks to future technology, they didn't have to go that many turns to get everything inside. Phil just sat on the lawn, staring at the clouds in the sky. He could swear one of them looked like a heart.

«What are you doing here?» someone said in a surprised tone. Phil turned to see Mr. Hackett staring at him wide eyed. He slowly got up to face the tiny, balded man.

«Uh, well, we came back. We missed this place,» Phil said nervously, rubbing his neck. Mr. Hackett eyes him suspiciously.

«There's something going on with you. And I'm gonna find out! Sooner or later,» he muttered. Then he turned around, going back to his house. He turned around, looking at him in a way that almost made Phil laugh. He held it in. No reason to piss off Mr. Hackett more than necessary.

Phil walked inside, and he loved the view of their house. He really did feel like this was their real home. He was just walking around, enjoying his surroundings, when Barbra interrupted him.

«What are you still doing here? I thought you were over at Keely's.»

«Mr. Hackett distracted me»

«Well, what are you waiting for now, then? Go over there,» his mom smiled. Phil quickly hugged her, before walking out. As he got closer to her house, his heart started beating faster and faster. Ok, this was it. What he'd wanted for weeks now. He found himself standing in front of Keely's house. Her mother's car wasn't there, but the light in Keely's bedroom window was on, so it looked like she was home alone. He took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm down. This was it. He walked forward, and rang the doorbell.

* * *

**A/N**: So what do you think? I'll update faster this time, I promise!


	5. The Reunion

**A/N: So here is the next chapter. First I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for everyone who took their time out of their days to read and review my story. I am so sorry that this took me way longer than expected, but I was unsure how to approach it. Then we had a thunderstorm, and we lost our internet connection, and I was suddenly inspired :D So here is what I think the most awaited chapter of this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

**The reunion**

Keely was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Every once in a while she would allow herself to think of him. Him, as in Phil Diffy. The love of her life. Most of the time she tried to keep her mind off of him, because it never did her any good. But now was one of those moments where she would think about all their time and memories together. After all, she couldn't forget them. She wouldn't. That would literally kill her. She needed that little piece of him, the only piece she could ever have. She sighed, before rolling over until she was lying on her stomach. She reached over for the book on her bedside table. She needed a distraction. After a while she realized that she hadn't gotten a single word of what John was currently telling Savannah in Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, even after reading the same paragraph several times. After a while, she gave up. She got up and turned on the computer. Just like any day when she didn't know what to do with herself, she logged on Facebook. She already knew it would just make her feel more depressed to see all of her friends tagging photos of them and their boyfriends. Yet, she didn't know what else to do. She just kept repeating the same patterns every day, sinking deeper and deeper. How would she ever get out of this vicious cycle? She didn't know, but why not worry about that later?

After about 20 minutes, the doorbell rang. She checked the time in the bottom corner of the computer. Her mom wasn't supposed to be home yet. Then who could it be? She lazily got up and hurried downstairs to get the door. She looked at herself in the mirror by the door before opening. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing pyjama pants. She sighed before opening the door. When she saw who was standing there, her mouth popped open. She looked down at herself again, asking herself why she was wearing pyjamas before she greeted her guest.

«Um, Mr. Hackett, what are you doing here?» she asked surprised.

«I was just coming over to see if you heard,» he replied. She could swear she saw a little twinkle in his eye. How odd.

«What are you talking about, Mr. Hackett?» she wondered, real curiosity in her tone.

«Ah, I think you'll see soon enough,» he said, before he smiled at her and left. Mr. Hackett just showed up at her house, before smiling at her. Wow, what a weird day. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but she figured she would find out soon enough if it was that important.

She was starting to get hungry, so she went to the kitchen, and opened a new pack of raspberry Pop Tarts, and put them in the toaster. She stood there, all alone in the kitchen, staring at the toaster, waiting for her Pop Tarts to cook. Then suddenly she started singing her new favorite song on the top of her voice, «Hear Me» by Kelly Clarkson.

_You gotta be out there_

_You gotta be somewhere_

_Wherever you are_

_I'm waiting_

_Cause there are these nights when_

_I sing myself to sleep_

_And I'm hoping my dreams bring you close to me_

_Are you listening_

_Hear me, I'm crying out_

_I'm ready now_

_Turn my world upside down, find me_

_I'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud_

_I need you to see_

_I'm screaming for you, please_

_Hear Me_

Right then, the doorbell rang. She wondered who it was now. Would she be too surprised if it was Mr. Hackett again? She took one of the Pop Tarts from the toaster, and went to open the door. This time she lost her breath and her heart stopped beating, before speeding up like a hummingbird. She dropped her Pop Tarts on the floor. Great, she'd gone mad. She was having hallucinations. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, before opening them again. Nope, he was still standing there. Those beautiful, sparkling brown eyes were looking at her, and a smile was playing around his lips. He was dazzling. He was even more beautiful than she remembered. For several minutes she just stood there, watching him. She couldn't get out a single word.

«What are you doing here? Is this a dream?» she whispered.

«Surprised to see me?» he grinned.

* * *

Phil took a deep breath to calm himself as he heard Keely's footsteps in the hallway. Yes, he recognized Keely's walk. How crazy was that? Just in that moment, Keely opened the door and landed her eyes on him, before dropping her half eaten Pop Tart to the floor. He suddenly felt his body fill with warmth, hope and love. It was like he was regaining something that had went missing inside of him. He watched as the realization that he was there slowly dawned on Keely. She closed her eyes for just a minute, and opening them again. Making sure she wasn't dreaming, he knew. Like she'd done so many times before. He couldn't help but smiling now. Somehow, he felt whole again. The girl who was his best friend, and also his first and true love, was once again standing in front of him after their separation. They'd been more than 100 years apart, and still, here they were again.

He knew her so well that he could clearly see in her face that she was wracking her brain, trying to find the right words to say. For a couple of minutes, all he could do was to just stand there and admire her beauty. Then she finally spoke.

«What are you doing here?» she whispered, looking into his eyes for answers. «Is this a dream?»

«Surprised to see me?» Phil beamed. He had never wanted to kiss her more than in that very moment. He was almost overwhelmed with desire, but he decided to let this sink in for Keely. That was only fair to her. She couldn't take her eyes off him, and he couldn't stop staring at her either. Maybe there was still hope for them?

«Why? How?» she asked. Phil took a minute before answering.

«As to the why part, I'm here because I missed you,» he said in a surprisingly steady tone. The words were so true. «I simply couldn't stand being without you, and me and my family didn't fit in back in 2121. We all missed this century and you. It was mostly me, but my parents also had a hard time without you around. We all love you so much,» he said, before pausing for a couple of seconds. «When it comes to the how, I simply went to the department of time travel to arrange us going back to the future even though it's against the law. I explained myself, and the minister of time travel told me to go ahead. So my family decided that we would go back to 2006, and then we simply traveled here, and moved back into the house. And I'm still over the top that everything is like it was when we left. Our house is there, and Mr. Hackett is still his own snooping self. Oh, thanks for taking care of Curtis, by the way. And then I simply came over here, and knocked on your door, and here we are.»

Keely started at him a minute, once again at loss of words. Then she took a deep breath, and looked at her feet for a moment. Then she raised her head and looked into his eyes with a loving glance.

«Are you staying?» she whispered, seeming to barely get the question out. At this, Phil just had to grin, smiling from ear to ear.

«Definitely. Permanently this time. As in forever and ever,» he smiled at her. She looked into his eyes, making sure she was right, and apparently she found no signs that he was lying, so she leaned in.

* * *

Keely tried harder than ever to collect her thoughts. Phil, the Phil, was standing right in front of her after bending the law to travel back to her time just to be with her. He had convinced his family to come back to a time they didn't even come from, just for her. Phil had missed her so much he'd done anything in his power to come back, just for her. And now he was looking into her eyes with an expression in his face that made her heart melt. She took a deep breath, and dropped her eyes to her feet. There was only one thing bothering her, and she simply had to get on with it. She raised her head and looked into his eyes once again, and her body filled with love.

«Are you staying?» she managed to get out, though it was barely audible. She awaited his answering, when a smile spread across his face.

«Definitely. Permanently this time. As in forever and ever,» he smiled at her. Keely looked into his eyes for a confirmation that his words were true, and they were. She knew him. He could see in his eyes if he was telling the truth, and that's what he was doing now. Phil had actually come back for her, and this time they were really staying. Forever.

At this point, she simply couldn't hold it all back anymore. She leaned closer, slowly, looking into his eyes for any sign of rejection. He simply closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Keely closed her eyes as well. Then she closed the remaining distance between them, and touched her lips to him. He responded right away, kissing her back with as much intensity as she had. In that moment, she could feel that they'd both been waiting for this moment for a long time, and that he might also have spent a couple of nights awake, thinking about it. But right there, in the present, she felt like she was going to explode on the inside. Every feeling she had against him, both romantically and friendly, suddenly doubled. And it felt like her heart not only would fit in her chest, but it was beating so hard it might actually end up somewhere else completely. She felt Phil lift his hands, and placing one of them on her back, trying to pull her closer. She tucked both of her hands behind his back as well, returning the gesture. Then she felt Phil's other hand tucked into her hair, and she couldn't help but moan his name in the back of her throat. A couple of moments later, way too soon according to Keely, Phil broke the kiss, and placed his forehead against hers. They just stared into each others eyes, and for a minute, no one said anything. Then Phil broke the silence.

«I love you, Keely,» her murmured. Once again Keely could see in his eyes that he was telling nothing but the truth, and she smiled.

«I love you too, Philip Diffy,» she whispered. She was barely finished with the last syllable of his name, before he crushed his lips to hers once again. This was a shorter, but equally passionate kiss.

When he pulled back this time, he still held her close in a warm embrace, his face buried in her hair. She felt at peace for the first time in a long time. She wanted to stay like this in his arms forever.

* * *

Phil didn't know if it'd been minutes or hours, and frankly, he didn't care. He was standing here with Keely in his arms, and he was filled with a feeling that as long as this was a fact, everything worked out. And then he realized something he'd forgotten. It was already clear to him, but he wanted to have it official.

«So what do you say?» he murmured in her ear. Only then did he realize Keely had no idea what he was talking about, and she pulled away a little to lock her eyes with his.

«To what exactly?» she said, confused, but with humor in her eyes. Phil reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before answering.

«Keely Teslow, will you be my girlfriend?» he asked in a sure tone, trying not to laugh. He didn't, but Keely did. He listened to the gorgeous giggle escaping her lips.

«Why, yes, Phil Diffy. I'd love to,» she said in a not very impressive, but her very best sophisticated British accent. They both laughed, before he kissed her on the lips. And then again. And again, and again, and again.

* * *

Mr. Hackett sat on a park bench across the street, watching the encounter in front of him. He was glad Phil and the other Diffys were back, so that he could finally figure out what was going on there. Because something definitely was different with the Diffys, and he would find out what. But despite that, he couldn't help but smile at the teenagers across the street. He wasn't a heartless man, and he had seen what was going on. He had been watching Phil and Pim closely over the past two years, and it was long ago when he noticed. He'd long ago seen the chemistry between Phil and Keely, and the way he looked at her. And sometimes he'd seen her look at him the same way. He'd known it was only a matter of time before something happened. He'd watched them become a couple in front of the whole school when they were named cutest couple, because just then had they both dared to go after their feelings. He'd seen that Keely was no longer the same after Phil left, and he was not the only one who noticed the sorrow in her eyes. Mr. Hackett had come to care for these teenagers. And though he couldn't entirely understand why, seeing Phil and Keely stand in front of her open door, kissing, filled his heart with a certain joy. Like pieces of an unsolved puzzle was falling into place. He had a strange feeling that everything would be ok in the end. And by that, he left the teenagers to themselves, and he walked the short distance to his house, feeling at peace with himself.

* * *

That night, Phil went to bed feeling better than he'd ever felt. He'd finally gotten the words that he'd been thinking about so much lately; I love you. He'd kissed her, he'd said it, and she'd said it back. Then she had agreed to be his girlfriend, and he had a feeling that nothing could ever be wrong again. He'd come home, and his parents had squealed in delight when they saw the obvious in his face. His dad had squealed too, no matter if he'd tried to deny it afterwards. They were back in 2006, where he knew they all belonged. Even Pim had smiled at him wholeheartedly when Phil had told his family what had happened. Not everything, though. He didn't go that much into detail, because he felt that the moment had been a very intimate moment between him and Keely alone. He'd had a strange feeling that someone had been watching them, but that was probably all just imagination. And tomorrow, he would take Keely out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Arnold's Pink Pig, on their first official date. He was even looking forward to going back to school, where he could hold her hand and kiss her in the hallway, letting everyone know she was his, and he was hers. Forever. While he thought that last word, he felt a sudden urge. He thought about it, before he retrieved the Giggle. He placed it on his head, and turned it on.

«Keely Teslow, 2030,» he said in a clear voice. Once again, he saw the news report by his beautiful adult Keely, like he'd done so many times before. He almost fainted with joy though, when he saw that the wedding band was back on her left ring finger. Forever, he thought again, this time with more certainty.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, I have a couple of things here.**

**1. I hope you liked it!**

**2. I'm sorry for that kind of OCC paragraph from Mr. Hackett's perspective there at the end. I just wanted to show a little different part of him, that we don't usually get to see.**

**3. My story is basically about their reunion, but I don't think it should end here. And I don't think I will write about them going back to school, but would you like me to write a couple of chapters, spaced some years apart? One for their graduation, maybe a proposal, their wedding, or getting kids? I write this sotry to get closure for myself, so maybe I will. But I'd appreciate it if you showed your interest by telling me in a review :D**

**Until then, Thanks for reading!**


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